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| Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler headline a pitching staff that will get the Mets back on track faster than expected. (Credits: Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) |
Go ahead and check the standings, the Mets are nowhere near the playoffs. 12 games out of the second wild card spot and eight games under .500 doesn't scream "WATCH OUT." They haven't won more than 80 games since '08. There's no cinderella run in this outfit, no '73 Miracle Mets September redux. I guess if you want to take any solace in the NOW, at least the Mets are a solid 3.5 games ahead of the Phillies and their $159 million payroll ($71 mil. more than New York's). But "right now" was never in the question for the Mets. We knew this was a rebuilding process, we knew it would take a while. Well "a while" is a lot closer than people think.
What the Mets have going for them will bring them into the playoff contention picture a lot faster than the most teams turn around. Young arms. Sure, you're going to feel good about yourself if you've developed a couple nice bats. Possibly a collection of sluggers and .300 guys. That's going to put some confidence in your coffee. But when you're collection of budding farmhands happen to be of the starting pitching variety? Now that's when your confidence produces results.
Everyone knows about Matt Harvey. We don't need to laud the man anymore; he's arrived at the top and he's here to stay for a while. But, the re-emergence of Dillon Gee (2.73, 2.88 and 1.27 ERA in June, July, August respectively), Jeremy Hefner's flashes of brilliance and Zack Wheeler's continual growth should have the organization thinking playoffs much sooner than anticipated. Oh and don't forget Jenrry (Henry) Mejia; the Dominican righty had a nice little stretch allowing only seven earned runs in 27.1 innings. Noah Syndergaard, the other man in the R.A. Dickey deal, is lighting up Double-A going 6-0 with a 1.59 ERA in 10 starts. Rafael Montero's looked pretty good at Triple-A Las Vegas. The rotation's future is glowingly bright.
I'm not saying this rotation is going set records in the future, but the Mets staff as a whole ranks 10th in ERA, 10th in quality starts and 12th in WHIP in only the first season of the "rehauled" Amazin's. As these young pitches continue to hone their stuff, develop their killer instinct and learn how to handle the moment, the Mets will start contending. That could happen two years from now, hell it could happen next year.
You're probably asking me if their pitching staff is so good, then why are they 12 games out of the playoffs? Simple, there's no bats. Outside of David Wright there's no one in the lineup who can hit .300. The future aka Travis d'Arnaud is learning the ropes the hard way going 1-for-11 in his first four Major League starts. You expect it from a rookie, especially when he has no one around him to protect him. d'Arnaud will be a stud, it'll just take time. But, even the second coming of Mike Piazza won't turn this ship around by himself. Time for Sandy Alderson to go shopping.
First things first, the Mets need outfield help. Although Marlon Byrd has produced a solid season of power, he's more of a stop-gap player at his age than a future option. Juan Lagares has had his moments, but you can't rely on him to be the future CF either. The obvious option for the Mets is Jacoby Ellsbury, but do you really want to shell out a $100 million-plus contract for a guy with his injury history? But then you look at his league leading 45 stolen bases and his .300 consistency and it might make you salivate. Team him up with the absolute burner that Eric Young Jr. (nice little Mets pickup) and dear lord do you have a lethal speed combo. We all know speed in the NL is vital. I'm on the record in favor of Ellsbury. I think he's got all the intangibles to live up to the contract and he will immediately alter this lineup. The question remains, however, will the financially shady Mets open their wallets for him?
More affordable options are Shin-Soo Choo or Hunter Pence, both guys who will hit around .290 and give you some quality consistency. This is probably a more realistic option with the way the Mets are spending; they simply don't want another Jason Bay on their hands (shoot me now just thinking about it). I want no part of Curtis Granderson or Nelson Cruz. Nate McLouth is another interesting low-level option, but I see him as a last ditch effort.
I think the Mets have found their Ike Davis replacement at first base with Josh Satin. He's no one to write home about, but if he can keep that OBP around .400 and batting average around .280, I think he's a real steal. Let me run on a little tangent here. Is Ike Davis not the worst thing you've seen out of the Mets in a while? Hitting a sizzling .206 with a gaudy eight home runs, it seems that Davis is better suited to the PGA tour with that golf swing of his. Unfortunately the former first round pick seems like a good guy, so it's tough to see his career go down the tube. The guy's lost it and he's definitely not going to find it here in Flushing. Move along buddy.
Anyways, the Mets are getting there and I see them as legitimately playoff contenders two years from now. If Alderson can pull off some wizardry in the war room this offseason then this team could vie for the playoffs next year. That's a bit of a long shot, but the top-10 pitching gives them a chance almost every night they go out there. When you can't hit and you leave your pitcher (cough...cough Matt Harvey) with about a thousand no-decisions-that-should-have-been-wins, it's hard to be good. Next year I see the Mets winning 80-plus games and giving Queens real excitement.
Pull some strings and the Mets might just be looking at Hanley Ramirez and David Wright patrolling the left side of the infield.
David Wright and Hanley Ramirez patrolling the left side of the infield...
Laugh all you want. Tell me that the Mets will mess this up somehow. I won't listen. Not when Harvey's dealing 12-6s and Vermont Sharp Cheddar like they two are going out of style.
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